I Hope They Get To Me In Time
by GoDale13
Summary: Tony-centric songfic based on the song by Darius Rucker. What happens when Tony is in a wreck? Will he finally realize how much he is missing? TIVA Kinda sad, but ends happy! ADDED NEW CHAPTER!
1. Chapter 1

_Hey everyone! Here's a little song-fic for you. Hope you enjoy it. Just so you know, it is kinda sad in a way, yet ends happy! Its based on the song "I Hope They Get To Me In Time" By Darius Rucker._

The parts that are in Italics are the ones that are kinda flashbacks/hallucinations. The Bold/Italics is the song. The regular text is the present day story.

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_"I don't want my hair cut, Daddy," a little Tony cried as his father carried him to the barber shop._

_"No son of mine is going to have hair past their ears," his father told him, opening the door. "Now, act like a good boy, or there will be no television tonight," his father warned him. That threat worked wonders on the little boy; television was his best friend._

"_Mommy! What's for dinner?" Tony asked, racing into the house an hour later._

"_In here, dear," Tony heard coming from the kitchen. "Ina is making your favorite meal today: Spaghetti and Meatballs," his mother told him, smiling at her only son._

_**I'm eight years old, daddy's cutting my hair  
Aqua Velva on his hands  
Mama's in the kitchen,  
Got fried green tomatoes poppin' in the pan  
I see a home run, a gold ride  
Holding my breath getting baptized.  
I see her beautiful face under that veil as she's walking down the aisle.**_

-----------------------------

Tony groaned as he tried to open his eyes. It took a while for him to realize where he was. The team had just finished a three-day long case involving a petty officer and her crazy ex-boyfriend. Last thing he remembered was leaving the squad room with Ziva and walking to his car.

-----------------------------

_Tony walked into the lab room to find Abby typing away on her computer._

_"Hey there, purty lady," Tony did his best Elvis impersonation._

_"Tony! You're back! How was the trip? Did you like Israel? Was Ziva's family nice?" Abby asked, engulfing the man in a huge bear hug. "You have to tell me everything."_

_"I would, but I can't breathe, Abs," Tony chuckled._

_"Sorry," Abby said, letting go of the man. "Did you enjoy the trip?"_

_"Abby, it was an assignment. Since when did I have fun on assignments?" Tony asked._

_"Since it was only you and Ziva," Abby smirked. "Tell me, you guys realized your feelings for each other and have begun dating," she said, looking pointedly at Tony._

_"What feelings, Abby?" Tony asked, avoiding the question._

_"Don't lie to me, Tony! It's obvious the two of you love each other. Why don't you just admit to it?"_

_"Because there is a lot at stake," Tony blurted out._

_"What do you mean by that?" Abby asked._

_"I can't date Ziva, because I have a wife."_

_"Wife? What are you talking about? You got married?" Abby glared at Tony who took a step back away from the scientist._

_"Abs, calm down. I can explain," Tony said, putting his hands up in surrender as Abby shot death glares at him. _

_"Apparently Ziva's father specifically asked for me to accompany her for the mission," Tony explained. "We didn't find out what he really had planned until we got to Tel Aviv. He thought it time for Ziva to get married, and wanted to see who the man was that she talked about all the time. Before I knew what was going on, Ziva and I were betrothed. It's not exactly married, but it's not dating," Tony tried to explain._

_"You and Ziva are hitched, and you didn't invite me!" Abby yelled._

_"We did not have a choice, Abby," Ziva said from behind the two. "My father would not let us protest it."_

_"So you're married, but not married," Abby said, trying to understand the whole situation._

_"We are not married until we have a true marriage, but we cannot date anyone else. To break off the engagement, we basically have to have a divorce," Ziva explained. She had thought she was able to outrun this old tradition of her country, but apparently she had not._

_"When's the wedding?" Abby asked, excited once again._

_Tony and Ziva looked at each other. "We haven't thought that far ahead yet," Tony said. _

_---------------_

_In the elevator, Ziva sighed. "You do not have to go through with this," Ziva told him, giving the man an easy way out. _

_Tony reached over and stopped the elevator. "Like I told you in Tel Aviv, if I did not want to do this, I would have said so then. There was nothing making me say that I wanted to marry you. Not forced me to say that I loved you. I love you, Zee-vah. I have from the moment you walked into my life, and everyday it grows stronger," he told her, brushing the stray hair out of her face._

_"I love you, too," Ziva said, kissing Tony gently._

Tony opened his eyes again. Looking around, he tried to open the car door, but he could not move his arm. "Great, a broken arm," he said to himself. Tony tried to think back to what happened after he got into his car. He was driving down the road when the car coming towards him veered into Tony's lane. Tony jerked the steering wheel towards the right. All he ever saw of the driver was an upturned bottle of Jim Beam.

_**I can hear the sirens coming  
Smell the gasoline and smoke  
I'm pinned against this steering wheel  
Pretty sure my arm is broke  
I can see the flames and my life  
Flashing right before my eyes  
I hope they get to me in time**_

I could see the headlights swerve  
So I cut the wheel to the right  
Last thing I saw was the bottle turned up  
as he crossed that center line  
I see tiny hands, brown eyes  
falling asleep to that lullaby  
And you slide over next to me as I turned out the lights

Tony groaned, his head was pounding, and his whole body hurt just as bad. Closing his eyes to try to sooth some of the pain, Tony drifted off again.

-----------------------

_"Tony, we are going to be late!" Tony heard from the other room. "If Eli and Katie are late one more time this week, the school is going to jump them out."_

_"Throw, Zee-vah," Tony responded automatically. "They won't do it. Our fathers have too much power over that school," he said, getting out of the bed._

_"Gibbs will not be happy," Ziva retorted, walking into the bedroom. "You have a meeting in MTAC at 9."_

_Tony walked over to his wife and pulled her against him. "Did you sleep okay last night?" he asked, kissing her neck gently._

_"No, your son kept me up," she yawned, holding her growing stomach. "He did not stop kicking until I turned a Magnum, P.I. episode on."_

_Tony laughed. "Sounds like my boy," he said, placing his hands on her stomach. "I love you, Zee-vah."_

_"I love you, too, my hairy little butt," Ziva said, kissing her husband._

-----------------------------

'Was that sirens?' Tony thought to himself. Listening again, Tony could hear the faint sound of the sirens coming closer. He could smell the gasoline and smoke. 'Please don't let me burn alive,' he prayed. He felt his body growing weaker. No, he could not die this way. He was supposed to go out in a blaze of glory, not because of some stupid drunk driver.

He had to survive, Tony told himself. He had to tell Ziva how much he loved her. He needed to let her know that she was the most important person in his life, and that she meant more to him than anyone he had ever known. He wanted to spend the rest of his life with her. He could not die without telling her how he felt.

_**I can hear the sirens coming  
Smell the gasoline and smoke  
I'm pinned against this steering wheel  
Pretty sure my arm is broke  
I can see the flames and my life  
Flashing right before my eyes  
I hope they get to me in time**_

Please Lord, I'm begging you  
Don't let me go like this  
There's so much left that I wanna do  
So much I don't wanna miss

I can see the flames and my life  
Flashing right before my eyes  
I hope they get to me in time  
Just get to me in time  
Please get to me in time

Tony was fully unconscious when the emergency workers arrived on the scene. They quickly set to work on freeing the injured man. After thirty minutes, the safety workers pulled Tony's body out of the car and laid him on the stretched.

**Ambulance**

"Sir, do you hear me?" one of the paramedics asked when Tony began to moan on the ride to the hospital. "Can you tell me your name?"

"Tony," Tony managed to mutter. "NCIS, Ziva," he uttered before going fully unconscious.

"What did he say?" the man asked, looking at the others around him.

"I think he said NCIS," another paramedic said. "See if he has any identification on him."

The paramedics searched his pockets. "Found it," the first man asked. "Joe, he works for NCIS. Hey, Jones, we need to go to Bethesda, this man's a Navy cop," he yelled up front to the ambulance driver. "It's closer anyways," he said to Joe, the man sitting across from him.

**Ziva's Apartment**

Ziva had just returned to her apartment from running when her cell phone went off. Her gut had been telling her all evening that something was wrong, but she could not figure it out. Not recognizing the number, Ziva hesitantly answered it.

"Officer David," she answered.

"This is Rhonda Wilson from Bethesda Hospital, we have you listed as one of the next of kin for a Special Agent Anthony DiNozzo?"

"Yes, did something happen to him?" Ziva asked, her gut telling her that this is what had been worrying her the past few hours.

"It seems that Mr. DiNozzo has been involved in an accident, and we would like for you to come to the hospital."

Tony was hurt! Ziva could not believe it. She had just seen him not two hours ago, he was his normal self heading to his car, excited about being able to see another marathon of Magnum, P.I. "I will be there as soon as possible," Ziva told the nurse before hanging up and leaving her apartment.

**Hospital**

Ziva ran into the hospital up to the front desk. "My partner was brought here. Special Agent Anthony DiNozzo," she said to the nurse. "Do you know where he is?"

"Currently he is in surgery, I will let the doctor know you are here and he will come talk to you whenever he is able," the nurse told her. "You can wait in that room over there if you would like," she said, pointing towards the waiting room at the end of the hall.

Ziva slowly made her way to a chair in the corner of the room, not paying attention to anything around her.

"He does not have my permission," Ziva heard from the other corner. "He has too much to live for."

"Gibbs, I was just about to call you," Ziva said, surprised, yet half-expecting, to see Gibbs sitting there.

"He has both of us as his next of kin in case something happens," Gibbs explained the unanswered question in Ziva's eyes.

"Do you know what happened?" Ziva asked, sitting down next to the marine.

"Drunk driver swerved into Tony's lane," Gibbs explained, taking a drink of the coffee he had brought from his house. "Man died right after the paramedics reached the wreck. They said Tony was just barely alive. He kept mumbling your name," he said, hiding the smirk that threatened to appear. He knew the feelings the two had for each other, it reminded him of when he and Jen were younger. But, he could see something different. The two were willing to hide their feelings, whereas he and Jen were never able to do so.

"He will be okay," Ziva stated firmly. "His death will be like one of those action movies he has forced me to watch over and over again. He wouldn't like his autobiography end with a drunk driver," she added. Gibbs could not help but let out a small laugh.

"You are probably right," Gibbs said, nodding his head. That was Tony through and through.

The minutes passed by, Ziva began pacing the room just to keep herself awake. Having been investigating the petty officer's kidnapping for the past forty-eight hours, Ziva was beginning to feel the strain. If she sat for any amount of time, she began nodding off, only to jerk awake not thirty seconds later. Gibbs sat drinking his third coffee, the caffeine keeping him awake.

"What is taking so long? This cannot be good," Ziva exclaimed, plopping herself down in the chair.

Five minutes later, Gibbs and Ziva heard a man walk into the room. "Agent Gibbs, you must tell your agents that we have to stop meeting this way," the doctor said, walking over to shake Gibbs' hand.

"Do you know him?" Ziva asked, confused.

"Doctor, this is Mossad Officer Ziva David. Ziva, this is Dr. Brad Pitt," Gibbs introduced the two and Ziva did a double –take.

"I get that a lot," Dr. Pitt said, smiling at Ziva's reaction.

"How is Tony?" Ziva asked, recovering fast.

"He should be okay. He has a mild concussion that knocked him unconscious for a bit. His left arm was severely broken, and will have to be in a cast for a few months. Three of his ribs were broken, and one punctured his lung, but we were able to fix that. He is awake, and wanting to talk to you, actually," Dr. Pitt said, nodding towards Ziva. "He has not stopped mumbling your name since he was brought here."

"Thanks, doctor," Gibbs said, shaking the doctor's hand again. "Ziva, go in there. I'm going to call McGee and Abby and give them the update," he told the Israeli, knowing how much the woman wanted to see Tony.

**Tony's Room**

Ziva slowly walked into the hospital room, afraid of what she might find on the other side of the door.

"I'm not that bad," Tony said, smiling as he watched the door open hesitantly. When Ziva walked into the room, Tony said, "This makes three cars in the last five years that have been totaled.

"Well maybe you should learn to drive," Ziva playfully shot back.

"Hey, none were my fault!" Tony defended. "I wasn't even in the first two cars. I don't know how I made it out of this wreck," he said honestly.

"The emergency workers do not know either. It was on fire when they got there, but you were not burned," Ziva explained, sitting in the chair next to Tony's bed.

"We didn't get betrothed or anything did we?" Tony asked and Ziva raised her eyebrow. "I kept having these weird dreams the whole time I was in there," Tony explained, staring at the ceiling. "I remembered pieces of my childhood when my mother was still alive. There was another about us getting married, and later you being pregnant with our third baby."

"Your mind was playing tricks on you," Ziva told him. "You were hurt, and your brain was not working right."

"Maybe, my mind was showing me what I am missing," Tony said, turning his head to look at Ziva. "Maybe I want to have you, maybe I want a family with you."

"Tony, your subconscious does strange things when you are hurt," Ziva tried to point out.

"Maybe, but I know it is all the truth. I've been too stubborn lately to admit to myself that I am in love with you. I have been ever since you first walked into the squad room. Every day I learn new things about you that just make me love you even more," Tony admitted, staring intently into Ziva's eyes. "I'm not saying this because of the pain killers. I made a promise to myself that I would tell you how I felt the first chance I got."

"What about Rule Twelve?" Ziva asked.

"It's time for you to have your own set of rules," Gibbs said from the doorway. "Those rules were to help you guys become who you are, and to help keep you in line."

"Thanks, Boss," Tony said, smiling goofily. Ziva and Gibbs could tell the pain killers were finally kicking in.

"I will let you get some rest, my hairy little butt," Ziva said, leaning over the bed and kissing Tony's forehead. "Ani Ohev Otach," she whispered in his ear before straightening up and leaving the room.

I hope you enjoyed it! Please Review and tell me what you think!


	2. Israel

_Thanks for the reviews that ya'll have given me for this story. A lot of you suggested I try to make another chapter or two. Well, here ya go. It's not the best, I wrote it one night after doing spanish homework._

_Hope you enjoy it! Please review and tell me what you think._

"DiNozzo, David, I need to see you in my office," Director Vance said, standing in front of the teams' circle of desks. "You can come, too, Agent Gibbs," he said, seeing the look Gibbs was giving her. Tony and Ziva jumped out of their respective seats and fell in behind Vance as they made their way up to his office.

What could Vance possible want with the two of them? Tony and Ziva thought to themselves. They could not really recall any reason for him to be admonishing them. In fact, the two barely talked to each other for the past three weeks. Ever since Tony had returned to work, something seemed amiss with the two. The others hoped that they were just trying to settle into the fact that they had a newfound relationship with each other, but were shocked when Tony began talking about his newest girlfriend-Tasha-and Ziva was picked up by a man no one knew. Abby was determined to figure out what had gone wrong.

"It seems that the two of you will temporarily be reassigned elsewhere," Vance said, sitting down in his desk chair and looking at the two younger agents. Gibbs stood behind them, the wheels in his head spinning furiously, Vance could already see the anger boiling under his skin. "Ziva, your father contacted me and requested that you be brought back to Tel Aviv temporarily for a mission involving the U.S. and Mossad, and since it is a joint-operation, he requested an American agent come with you. Deputy Director David specifically requested Agent DiNozzo," Vance explained.

"Um, if I may ask, Director, why me?" Tony asked, shocked at the news.

"Tony does not know anything about Israeli operations or intelligence," Ziva added, just as surprised.

"Exactly what I told Director David," Vance said. "He assured me that it was precisely why he requested DiNozzo. Seems the two of you have done a few undercover operations successfully together, and Director David has caught wind of them. Your plane leaves at 3, so you may leave early to get packed. Here are the files for the two of you," Vance said, handing each a manila folder. "You are, under no circumstances, to tell anyone of your whereabouts until this mission is over, understood?"

"Yes, sir," Tony and Ziva said, looking at the unopened folders in their hands.

**Bullpen**

"Just great, I had a whole weekend get-away planned for this week," Tony grumbled under his breath as he gathered his belongings up.

"Do we have a case?" McGee asked, watching Tony and Ziva pack their bags.

"McGee, I need you to take this down to Abby, have her run it for through AFIS and see if she can find a match. See if you can figure out who sent it, too," Gibbs ordered, handing McGee an envelope. "We received a picture with a ransom note in it, and I want it figured out NOW!"

"On it, Boss," McGee said, hurrying towards the elevator.

When McGee was out of sight, Gibbs turned to Tony and Ziva. "I don't know what mission you two are assigned to, but I expect you to cover each other's back. If either of you so much as even think about leaving the other unprotected, I will make you pay," he threatened the two agents. He was not too keen on two of his best agents being sent to another agency—foreign at that—without so much as a reason why.

**The Elevator**

"Do you want to carpool to the airport?" Tony asked Ziva. "That way we don't have both cars sitting in long-term parking," he offered.

"Fine, I will pick you up at 1:30," Ziva said, leaving the elevator and not looking back. Tony sighed, this was going to be a loooong trip!

**Tel Aviv**

Tony was amazed at the city he was in. Sure he had been in Iraq, but this was different. He could already tell that Ziva was enjoying being back in her home country.

"Are we going straight to headquarters, or are we going to where we are staying for the duration?" Tony asked Ziva who just stared out the window of the car.

"Headquarters will show us where we will be staying," she said, not turning from the window. She found it odd that her father seemed to be taking personal responsibility for this mission. He never ran the operations, and that was what had Ziva worried. What could possibly be going on?

Reaching the Mossad headquarters, Tony and Ziva were escorted straight to Deputy Director David's office.

"Shalom, Ziva. I am happy to see you again," Director David greeted when his daughter walked into the room.

"Shalom, Aba," Ziva replied, her lips pierced. She and her father never had the best of relationships. "Why did you request Tony and I? You have a whole agency of your own that you could have used here in Israel," Ziva asked in Hebrew.

"Because only you are able to accomplish this project," her father replied back.

"If I am to be a part of this, I'm going to need to know what is going on," Tony spoke up. "I'm not quite caught up on my Hebrew," Tony added in his normal manner.

"We will talk about this at my house this evening," Director David told the two. "Have Isaac drive you to my house, Rebekah will be expecting you. Make yourself at home. I shall be home in a few hours. At that point I will explain what was so important to request the two of you all the way from Washington, D.C.," he explained, signaling an end to the conversation.

**That Evening**

"Are you going to tell us what was so important that we had to fly halfway across the world?" Ziva asked as she, Tony, and her father stood in his study after dinner.

"Ziva, your five years are up," Eli David told his daughter.

Ziva half-laughed, half-snorted, "This is why you made me come? I told you I refused to go through with some barbaric ritual," she told her father.

"You do not have a choice. I have already arranged the ceremony for tonight," Eli said, sitting in his desk chair.

Tony stood in the corner wondering what the two were talking about. He thought about speaking up, but he thought the better of it. Aggravating two highly trained Mossad agents was not on Tony's list of safe things to do. Instead, he decided to ride it out, eventually he was bound to figure it out.

Ziva rambled off in Hebrew, followed by her father. They continued their conversation for a while longer, until Ziva began pacing.

"No, I will not put him through this," Ziva switched back to English, her back turned from the two men.

"I know what happened a month ago," Eli told his daughter and she stopped pacing.

"I thought I made it perfectly clear that you were no longer to spy on me. I have done nothing that would merit it," Ziva fumed, turning towards her father.

"If you prefer, I could choose someone here that you have never met," Eli threatened Ziva. "Or you can just take what I have to offer and marry the American."

"Whoa, what's going on here?" Tony spoke up at those words. Eli and Ziva turned towards Tony, as if they had forgotten he was standing there listening to the two.

"Aba, I cannot go through with this until I explain what is going on," Ziva told her father. "Just give me some time."

"The ceremony begins in an hour. You have that long," Eli said, leaving the room.

"What are you guys talking about?" Tony asked when Eli was gone.

"Tony, you have every right to leave the room right now and have nothing to do with what my father is trying to do," Ziva began. "He has no right to force you into anything."

"Zee-vah, settle down. You are starting to act like Abby," Tony said, hoping to get a smile from his partner.

"Tony, my father did not bring us here for a mission, he brought us here to get married," Ziva explained.

Tony let out a strangled laugh, "You're kidding right?" Yet he immediately knew she wasn't. "He does not have the right."

"Yes he does," Ziva sighed. "My family is one of the few Jewish families that still practice arranged marriages. Five years ago, my father decided it was time for me to marry, but Ari happened. I persuaded him to wait five year. I figured he would forget, but obviously he has not."

"Why me?" Tony asked.

"He has been spying on me ever since I arrived in D.C. I found out after Eschel attempted to frame me, and I assumed my father stopped. Sounds like he did not," Ziva explained. "He knows about what happened after your accident."

Tony looked at Ziva trying to gauge what she was thinking at the moment, but all he saw was a confused, lost woman. "What about your boyfriend back home?" Tony asked, suddenly remembering the man that had been picking Ziva up a lot lately.

"He is only a friend," Ziva sighed. "He knows about all this, we grew up together."

"Ziva, you are the one that left my house that morning and ignored me ever since. I tried to talk to you about it, but you just give me that assassin-glare and I keep away. Like I said that day in the hospital, I love you, and I will do whatever you want me to," Tony explained his voice serious.

"Tony, you do not understand," Ziva groaned. "The ceremony tonight is to betroth us. After six months, we have a formal wedding. Until that point, we are not allowed to be alone together, or show any displays of affection besides holding hands."

"Well that's a little different," Tony admitted. "I was onboard a ship for fourth months, how hard can six months be?" he smirked.

"Gibbs is not going to like this," Ziva muttered under her breath.

**NCIS- 3 Days Later**

Tony walked into the lab room to find Abby typing away on her computer.

"Hey there, purty lady," Tony did his best Elvis impersonation.

"Tony! You're back! How was the trip? Did you like Israel? Was Ziva's family nice?" Abby asked, engulfing the man in a huge bear hug. "You have to tell me everything."

"I would, but I can't breathe, Abs," Tony chuckled.

"Sorry," Abby said, letting go of the man. "Did you enjoy the trip?"

"Abby, it was an assignment. Since when did I have fun on assignments?" Tony asked.

"Since it was only you and Ziva," Abby smirked. "Tell me, you guys finally stopped fighting each other and got back together," she said, looking pointedly at Tony.

"Ziva and I never dated, Abby," Tony asked, avoiding the question.

"Don't lie to me, Tony! It's obvious the two of you love each other. Why don't you just admit to it?"

"Because there is a lot at stake," Tony blurted out.

"What do you mean by that?" Abby asked.

"I can't date Ziva, because I have a wife."

"Wife? What are you talking about? You got married in Israel?" Abby glared at Tony who took a step back away from the scientist.

"Abs, calm down. I can explain," Tony said, putting his hands up in surrender as Abby shot death glares at him.

"Ziva's father specifically asked for me to accompany her for the mission," Tony explained. "We didn't find out what he really had planned until we got to Tel Aviv. He thought it time for Ziva to get married, and decided I was a good match Before I knew what was going on, Ziva and I were betrothed. It's not exactly married, but it's not dating," Tony tried to explain.

"You and Ziva are hitched, and you didn't invite me!" Abby yelled.

"We did not have a choice, Abby," Ziva said from behind the two.

"So you're married, but not married," Abby said, trying to understand the whole situation.

"We are not married until we have a true marriage, but we cannot date anyone else. To break off the engagement, we have to divorce," Ziva explained.

"When's the wedding?" Abby asked, excited once again.

Tony and Ziva looked at each other. "We haven't thought that far ahead yet," Tony said.

---------------

In the elevator, Ziva sighed. "You do not have to go through with this," Ziva told him, giving the man an easy way out for yet another time.

Tony reached over and stopped the elevator. "Like I told you in Tel Aviv, if I did not want to do this, I would have said so then. There was nothing making me say that I wanted to marry you. Nothing forcing me to say that I loved you. I love you, Zee-vah. I have from the moment you walked into my life, and everyday it grows stronger," he told her, brushing the stray hair out of her face.

"I love you, too," Ziva said, kissing Tony gently.

"Heh, this all feels like déjà vu," Tony said when they broke apart.


	3. April 29

_**I know it's been a while, but after some requests I have written another chapter to "I Hope They Get To Me In Time." I hope you enjoy it!**_

"DiNozzo, David, with me," Gibbs ordered as the two stepped out of the elevator. The two glanced at each other briefly before following their team leader up the stairs to Director Vance's office. At the door, Gibbs stepped inside, holding the door open as the two walked in. Tony thought Gibbs shut the door a little harder than needed behind them.

"I sent you to Israel for a joint mission, and you return married?" Vance yelled at the two.

"Actually we're not married yet. We have to wait six months," Tony spoke up, immediately regretting it when Gibbs glared at him.

"Director David should be able to explain everything for you," Ziva told the man standing behind the desk.

"I just got off the phone with him," Vance replied. "If I'd known his true intentions, I never would have approved it."

"That was not the whole reason for the trip," Ziva explained. "While it was the true reason behind his requesting of Tony, I was needed to oversee a mission I had firsthand knowledge of." Tony took the chance to glance over at Ziva. So that was where she'd been for the remainder of their time in Israel.

"Do the two of you plan on going through with this?" Vance asked. "Before you answer, know this: It is against policy for a married couple to work on a team together. If you do marry, one will have to transfer."

Tony and Ziva looked at each other for a moment. "We understand, Director," Tony said after a moment. "I'm willing to be transferred to another team." All in the room were shocked at the matureness in the Italian's voice and poise.

"Can we talk, Leon?" Gibbs spoke up from his spot against the wall.

Upon Vance's nod, Tony and Ziva walked out of the office. As soon as the door was shut, Ziva turned to Tony, "I will not allow you to give up everything to please my father."

"Do not start that, Zee-vah," Tony sighed. "I want to marry you because I want to spend the rest of my life with you. Not because of some damn family tradition," he said for what seemed like the hundredth time. "Besides, I've been on Gibbs team for a while. It's probably time for change. Don't worry, Zee-vah. It'll work out just fine," Tony said, kissing Ziva's forehead gently.

"I do not like this," Ziva said five minutes later. "What do they have to talk about for this long?"

"Maybe they killed each other," Tony joked, earning a look from Ziva. "Relax," he whispered in her ear.

Moments later, the couple heard the door open and Gibbs appeared, signaling the two back into the office.

"Against my better judgment, I have agreed to allow you to remain on the same team," Vance tells the two. "Agent Gibbs has pointed out that Officer David is not official a member of NCIS, allowing some leeway. If at any time I deem your relationship is hindering the effectiveness of the team, I will transfer each of you," Vance warned the two agents, standing in the middle of the room.

"Thank you, sir," Tony said as he and Ziva walked out of the room with Gibbs following behind.

"My office now," Gibbs said quietly behind the two.

When Gibbs stopped the elevator just as the doors shut and turned to them, Tony and Ziva half expected him to start chewing them out, but were surprised when he said, "I suppose congratulations are in order. Would have been nice to have a little warning," raising an eyebrow at the two.

"We were on our way to tell you," Ziva spoke up. "I asked my father to give us time to break the news ourselves, but he has never followed my wishes," she explained.

"Do you have a date?" Gibbs asked.

Tony shook his head, "I'm still trying to get my mind wrapped around the fact that this is actually happening," he admitted. "Not that it is a bad thing," he quickly added when Ziva gave him a raised eyebrow. "I just dreamed of it happening differently."

"Six months is in April," Gibbs told the two. "Try the 29th, it's a good day," Gibbs said, restarting the elevator. Tony and Ziva looked at each other curious as to why Gibbs was open to this idea. "One more thing, keep it out of the office, or I will personal kick your sixes."

**Six Months Later (April 29****th****)**

Ziva stood in front a mirror in a little room, staring at the dress she wore. It had been her mother's bridal gown. She was so lost in her thoughts, that she did not hear the door open. Hearing someone clear their throat behind her, Ziva looked up to see Gibbs standing there.

"I wanted to give you something before the wedding," Gibbs said quietly. "You don't have to wear it if you don't want to, but I would like for you to have it."

Ziva reached out and took the little box from Gibbs outstretched hand. Opening it up, Ziva let out a gasp. Inside was the most beautiful necklace she'd ever seen in her life. "It's beautiful," she exclaimed.

Gibbs smiled and Ziva noticed there was just a hint of sadness in his eyes. "I bought it for Shannon on our first anniversary," Gibbs explained, taking the necklace from Ziva and walking behind her to hook it around her neck. "We would have been married twenty-seven years today."

"Thank you, Jethro," Ziva said, feeling tears well up in her eyes as she felt the urge to hug the man in front of her that had transformed into a father figure for her in the years she'd had the chance to get to know him.

Gibbs returned the hug, happy that two of his agents finally found what they'd been searching for. Kissing her cheek, Gibbs said, "Better go make sure the groom hasn't gotten cold feet yet."

"He deserves to be a little nervous. Considering the fact that there are agents in there that could kill faster than even me," Ziva laughed.

**Tony**

Gibbs walked into the room where McGee was dancing around the room looking for something while Tony looked paler than snow. "Boss, have you seen the ring?" Tony asked when he say Gibbs walk in. He could not resist letting out a small laugh as he pulled the box out of his coat pocket. "Thank God!" Tony exclaimed, grabbing the box and opening it to insure himself that the ring was still safe. "Were you this nervous when you got married?" Tony asked. "Stupid question, of course you weren't," he added, shaking his head.

"I was scared stiff," Gibbs admitted. "I was convince Shannon had ran off and didn't want to marry me, so I had my mother assure me she was there. The other three don't count."

Tony studied the team leader for a while before stating, "This was the day you got married."

"Take care of her, or I will raise you from the dead and kill you myself," Gibbs threatened the senior field agent. "I'm proud of you, Tony," he said, holding out his hand to shake Tony's. "You're a damn good agent, and have become an even better man than I could have ever hoped to be."

"You don't mean that, Boss," Tony shrugged off the compliment.

"It's time," the three heard the rabbi say.

Tony stood at the front of the aisle, nervously staring at the empty doorway waiting for Ziva to appear. When she did, he felt his heart stop. He'd thought Ziva was the most beautiful woman he'd ever seen in his life, but as she walked towards him, smiling at him, Tony was sure he'd never seen anything prettier. It was at that point Tony remembered the last vision he'd had that night of the car wreck.

_Ziva and he were sitting on the back porch of their home, watching their grandchildren play in the yard. Although her dark black hair had changed to grey, Tony still thought she was the most beautiful woman he'd ever met._

"_Have I told you lately that I love you?" Tony asked, reaching over to take Ziva's hand in his._

"_Only every morning and night," Ziva smiled at her husband._

"_You are an amazing woman, Mrs. Zee-vah DiNozzo," Tony said, leaning over to kiss his wife's lips._


End file.
